If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I'd LIKE to just check that checkbox, but I'm afraid it will then no longer show me any alerts, no matter what the IP address is, and I don't want that. I want to block the message for just the one IP (or a range of IPs). Can I do that, and how?

Re: Can I stop alerts by IP or IP range?

Dear ambush:

This IP address appears to be your router. They usually have a last octet of 1 but yours is a variant. The private IP address listed in your post is not routable on the Internet. Check to be sure your LAN is in the Trusted zone. In the Zones tab of the Firewall panel, you should see something like this, based on the IP address you listed: New Network(or renamed to something else); 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0; Network; Trusted. If the last column is Internet, change that to Trusted. By default, the Trusted zone has Medium security, allowing communication between router and PC(s).

You can block IP addresses/ranges by creating expert firewall rules or use the Zones tab and add them to the Blocked zone. The difference is that expert firewall rules are executed before zone rules. Plus, expert firewall rules are more granular, meaning you can create more specific rules than with the Zones rules. It's better to block unwanted/malicious traffic by destination port(on your PC) than by IP address/range. The reason is there are so many IP addresses out there and by preventing access to ports that you do not use and are abused by hackers, and not logging them any further after you block them, the Log Viewer tab of the Alerts and Logs panel doesn't fill up with so many entries and you can review them easier.

Re: Can I stop alerts by IP or IP range?

Thank you, Watcher, for your most informative reply. I very much appreciate the time you spent on my behalf.

Forgive me, but while I follow nearly all of what you wrote (I'm a reasonably competent user), I'm not entirely sure how to proceed. Perhaps if I give you more info you will be able to help me further?

Here is my situation and settings. I'll focus on just two of my connected computers, which share a port (using a switch) to the router (the router is directly wired to cable internet).

Only now do I realize the settings for Computer 2 are different than 1. Should I add the &quot;Local Net&quot; settings to the second computer? I don't know how I've been sharing files (via Windows XP) without it, but it seems to work.

Perhaps I should just ask you to provide me with the settings you deem best for my situation. Would you be so kind?

Re: Can I stop alerts by IP or IP range?

Dear ambush:

If you take a look at the Zones tab entries you listed, you'll see that Computer 1's Local Net entry, which appears to have been added by you, covers the IP range of the Cable Net network IP address. Remove that entry and place Cable Net in the Trusted zone for both PCs. The IP address 192.168.1.0 is a private network IP address for your LAN. In the Zones tab for both computers, place that entry in the Trusted zone. This network IP address contains 254 addressable hosts, 192.168.1.1-192.168.1.254. Your router's IP address is probably 192.168.1.1. If you type this address into a web browser from one of your 2 PCs, you should bring up the router configuration screen. Since each router is different, consult your manual in configuring it. By default, it appears your router is assigning IP addresses to your PCs (DHCP-Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)in the range specified above. Your router is probably using NAT, or Network Address Translation, converting the private IP address of your PCs into the public IP address, provided by your ISP, for requests sent out on the Internet. It reverses the process when the responses are rec'd. Your router should also have SPI, or Stateful Packet Inspection, turned on which blocks all unsolicited traffic to your LAN PCs.

You can check the IP address assigned to either PC by clicking Start, Run, type CMD, then click OK. In the DOS window that opens, type: ipconfig /all .Note the space between the g and /. Look for the IP Address field and there will be your PC's assigned IP address. Now, from the same PC, open a web browser and go to this site:

This is the Shields Up site for Gibson Research Corporation which will display your public IP address. Note that it is different than the IP address assigned to your PC by your router. This is the public IP address assigned by your ISP, who probably uses DHCP as well.